Female joint having safety function

• US 9,528,649 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2015
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nitto Kohki Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nitto Kohki Company Limited
• Inventors: Aoki, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): McManmon, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): COLON MORALES, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/669,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20150267851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 251/149.9
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/0209 the valve having a particular passage, e.g. provided with a filter, throttle or safety device
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/23 by means of balls
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/44 with one lift valve being actuated to initiate the flow through the coupling after the two coupling parts are locked against withdrawal
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/46 with a gate valve or sliding valve
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 285/924 Vented

Abstract

A female coupling member includes a coupling member body having a fluid passage and being configured to receive a male coupling member from a front end thereof, and a valve member disposed in the coupling member body to traverse the fluid passage. The valve member has an opening and is displaceable between an open position and a closed position. In the open position, the valve member communicates between a front end side and a rear end side of the fluid passage through the opening. In the closed position, the opening is located outside the fluid passage to close communication between the front end side and the rear end side of the fluid passage. The valve member has a purge passage configured to communicate with both the front end side of the fluid passage and the atmosphere outside the female coupling member when the valve member is in the closed position.

Claims

1. A female coupling member having a safety function, to which a male coupling member can be detachably coupled, the female coupling member comprising:

a coupling member body having a front end, a rear end, and a fluid passage extending through the coupling member body from the front end to the rear end in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the coupling member body, the coupling member body being configured to receive the male coupling member from the front end of the coupling member body; and

a valve member disposed in the coupling member body so as to traverse the fluid passage, the valve member having an opening extending therethrough in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the coupling member body, the valve member being displaceable between an open position and a closed position in a direction traversing the longitudinal axis of the coupling member body, wherein, in the open position, the valve member provides communication between a front end side of the fluid passage and a rear end side of the fluid passage through the opening, whereas, in the closed position, the opening is located outside the fluid passage so as to close communication between the front end side of the fluid passage and the rear end side of the fluid passage;

wherein the valve member has a purge passage configured to communicate with both the front end side of the fluid passage and an atmosphere outside the female coupling member when the valve member is in the closed position;

wherein the valve member is a plate-shaped member having a front surface facing the front end side of the fluid passage and a rear surface facing the rear end side of the fluid passage, the valve member being displaceable between the open position and the closed position by moving parallel to a plane parallel to the front surface and the rear surface; and

wherein the fluid passage has a circular cross section and the opening of the valve member is a crescent-shaped opening comprising an arcuate surface aligning with a circumferential surface of the fluid passage when the valve member is in the open position and a surface extending between opposite ends of the arcuate surface in a direction traversing a path along which the valve member is displaced between the open position and the closed position, the surface extending between the opposite ends of the arcuate surface being positioned closer to the fluid passage than the arcuate surface when the valve member is at the closed position such that, when the valve is displaced from the closed position toward the open position, the surface extending between the opposite ends of the arcuate surface first enters the fluid passage.

2. The female coupling member having a safety function of claim 1, wherein the valve member is displaceable in a direction intersecting the longitudinal axis substantially at right angles.

3. The female coupling member having a safety function of claim 1, wherein the coupling member body has an outer peripheral surface and inner peripheral surface extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the coupling member body, and a locking member retaining hole extending through the coupling member body from the outer peripheral surface to the inner peripheral surface;

the female coupling member further comprising;

a locking member disposed in the locking member retaining hole;

a support ring disposed over the inner peripheral surface of the coupling member body slidably in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the coupling member body; and

a sleeve disposed over the outer peripheral surface of the coupling member body slidably in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the coupling member body;

wherein, in an uncoupled state where the male coupling member is not coupled to the female coupling member, the support ring is located radially inward of the locking member retaining hole to support the locking member in a position where the locking member projects radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the coupling member body, and the sleeve is engaged with the locking member projecting radially outward so that the sleeve cannot move toward the front end of the coupling member body, and further the valve member is engaged with the sleeve so that the valve member cannot move to the open position; and

wherein as the male coupling member is inserted from the front end of the coupling member body, the support ring is pushed by the male coupling member to slide toward the rear end of the coupling member body, so that the locking member is released from support to become movable radially inward, and upon completion of insertion of the male coupling member into the female coupling member, the locking member engages a locking member engagement groove formed on the male coupling member, and the sleeve is disengaged from the locking member and moves toward the front end of the coupling member body to block radially outward displacement of the locking member and to allow displacement of the valve member from the closed position to the open position.

4. The female coupling member having a safety function of claim 3, wherein when the valve member is in the open position, the sleeve is engaged with the valve member so that the sleeve cannot slide toward the rear end of the coupling member body.

5. The female coupling member having a safety function of claim 3, further comprising:

a safety member slidably disposed over the outer peripheral surface of the coupling member body between the sleeve and the valve member;

wherein when the female coupling member is in the uncoupled state, the safety member is held between the sleeve and the valve member so that the safety member cannot slide toward the front end of the coupling member body, and in the uncoupled state, the safety member engages the valve member to lock the valve member from moving to the open position, and as the male coupling member is inserted, the sleeve slides toward the front end of the coupling member body, thereby allowing the safety member to slide toward the front end of the coupling member body, and wherein as the safety member moves toward the front end of the coupling member body, the sleeve disengages from the valve member, thereby allowing the valve member to move from the closed position to the open position.

6. The female coupling member having a safety function of claim 5, further comprising:

a spring member urging the sleeve and the safety member away from each other;

wherein when the valve member reaches the open position, the safety member, which is urged toward the valve member by the spring member, engages the valve member to lock the valve member from moving to the closed position; and

wherein when the safety member is moved toward the front end of the coupling member body against urging force of the spring member, the safety member is disengaged from the valve member, thereby allowing the valve member to move to the closed position.

7. The female coupling member having a safety function of claim 1, wherein:

the front surface of the plate-shaped member includes at least one purge groove extending from the opening in a direction from the closed position to the open position; and

,

the opening and the at least one purge groove are configured such that, in the closed position, the opening is partly positioned outside of the coupling member body and the at least one purge groove is partly positioned in the fluid passage to form the purge passage.

8. The female coupling member having a safety function of claim 7, wherein:

the front end side of the fluid passage is provided with a front seal ring surrounding the fluid passage and being adapted to sealingly engage the front surface of the plate-shaped member when the valve member is in the closed position;

the at least one purge groove includes a pair of purge grooves and,

the front surface of the plate-shaped member includes the pair of purge grooves, the purge grooves being spaced apart from each other to form a seal ring retaining portion therebetween;

the seal ring retaining portion being configured to engage the front seal ring when the valve member is in the closed position to prevent the front seal ring from being dislodged from the front end side of the fluid passage.